Railway center plate structure



Oct. 14, 1941. E. s. IBQECKETTE 2,258,640

RAILWAY CENTER PLATE STRUCTURE Filed NW; 25, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 74 u::::%:I f 1 v 4 7 3 7 l6 /5 Z 42 FIG I k l R\ 3 k 1 1 FIG 4 INVENTOREDMUND S BECKETTE BY 7 W ATTORNEY E. S. BECKETTE Filed Nov. 25, 1958 2Sheets-Sheet 2 I45 44 All? 7% 45 FIG. 6.

62 7/4 LIZ 312m! INVENTOR EDMUND S BECKETTE ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 14,194i RAILWAY CENTER PEATE STRUCTURE Edmund s. Beckette, East St. Louis,Ili., assignor to General Steel Castings Corporation, Granite City,Ill-., a corporation of Delaware Application November 23, 1938, SerialNo. 241,883

(or. cos-1st) 6 Claims.

The invention relates to railway vehicle center plate structure throughwhich the truck bolster supports the body bolster and swiveling movement of the truck is accommodated.

One of the objects of the invention is to eliminate continuous metal tometal contact between the truck and body bolsters and thereby avoidnoises and vibrations present in the usual center plate construction,particularly after the parts have worn. j

Another object of the invention is to eliminate wear in the centerplateparts and the rethe center plate structure to act as a free pivot-;loint between the truck and body to accommodate and absorb relativehorizontal and tilting movements of the bolsters as well as swiveling 1movements.

Another object of the invention is to utilize the center plate structureto induce the return of the bolsters to normal position after they havebeen moved from the same.

Another object of the invention is to eliminate the necessity forlubrication between the truck and body center plate parts.

The above and other detailed objects, as will appear from the followingdescription, are attained by the use of cooperating center plate membersequipped with rubber pads and blocks and arranged to place the rubberelements under compression and shear whereby the rubber elements mayfunction most effectively. Other additional elements may be included inthe struc ture for specific purposes as described below.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention:

Figure 1- is a vertical section through the center plate portions of arailway truck bolster and a body bolster associated therewith.

Figure 2 is a view looking upwardly at the body center plate membershown in Figure l, the truck ber t. All opposing faces of the two centerplate casting members are spaced substantially from each other.

segments 'i' of similar material are secured to the side wall of cupEvin slightly spaced relation. The cup and the rubber elementsconstitute a unit which may be made, supplied and stored independentlyof the remaining structure.

Truck center plate member 3 is proportioned .and shaped to be insertedbetween segments l, and preferably the sides 3 of member .3 are taperedupwardly whereby the laterally opposing faces of the center platemembers converge upwardly, and as the parts ar telescopingly assembledsides ll frictionally engage and grip the inner faces of segments lcompressing the segments and also placing them under vertical shear andthereby partially supporting the body bolster, although the main load istransmitted through disc t.

Rotation of the body and truck bolsters about the axis X of the centerpin (not shown) will be permitted by the rubber elements but will beyieldingly resisted by the torsional shear between member 3 and pad 6and by the torsional shear forces of segments l'through the grippingaction of the segments l against the wall 8. The rubmembers to theirnormal position.

Due to the substantial space between opposing elements of the two centerplate casting membersthe latter may move horizontally relative to eachother and may tilt vertically relative to each other. Such horizontal ortilting movement is yieldingly resisted by the rubber elements whichcompletely fill the space between the center plate members andconstantly tend to return the cennormal position.

Dowels ll riveted or otherwise attached to the bottom of cup 5 projectinto suitable holes provided therefor in the bottom iii of the bodycenter plate member and securely hold the cup, and rubber elementsmounted thereon, in assembly with the body center plate member. The bodybolster bottom web is provided with openings A adjacent to dowels 9 toaccommodate the insertion and manipulation of a hammer or other tool fordriving the dowels out of the dowel holes when the cup and rubber unitis to be removed from the body bolster.

The construction avoids any contact between relatively movable metalparts thereby avoiding the necessity of accurately fitting said parts,and

her elements will tend to return the center plateter plate members, andthe two bolsters, to their eliminating the possibility of wear betweensuch parts and the resulting 16st motion with accompanying jolting andnoise. Obviously there is no necessity for lubrication.

In Figure 3 the female member II of the center plate structure isintegral with the truck bolster I2, and the male center plate member I3is integral with the body bolster I4. Cup I5, to which rubber elementsI6 and H are secured, opens upwardly and the side I8 of center platemember I3 tapers downwardly to compress rubber elements I! and place thesame in vertical shear so that they contribute to the support of thetruck bolster. Such tapering and compression also tends to create suchtight gripping action between elements I! and I3 that the rubberelements will be placed in torsional shear as the center plates rotaterelative to each other. Preferably the cup is held against rotation inmember II by being welded thereto at W.

This construction includes the additional feature of an annular packingI9 of felt or similar material compressed between the upper edge of thetruck center plate member and the opposing horizontal face of the bodybolster. This packing prevents the admission of dirt, water, oil,

face of the bolster and retains packing I9 in place and also'serves asaprotector for the same and as a baffle against the passage of foreignmatter to the interior of the center plate structure.

The structure illustrated in Figure 4 corresponds closely to that shownin Figure 3 but instead of a single unit mounting the rubber elements 2Iand 22 the former is bonded to a plate disc 23 and the latter, arebonded to a plate ring 24 set into a recess'in truck center plate member25. Disc 23 and ring 24'are held in place by welds W.

In each of the structures described above all of the rubber elements areattached to one of the center plate members,

Figure shows the flat disc 30 and the plate 3| to which it is bondedmounted on the body center plate 32, while the rubber segments 33 aresecured to a ring 34 mounted on the truck center plate member 35. WeldsW hold plate 3i and ring 34 against movement. Otherwise the constructionand operation of the parts correspond to arrangement shown in Figure 1.

In Figure 6 the structure combines the features of Figures 4 and 5, thedisc 40 and its plate 4I being mounted on the truck center plate member42, as in Figure 4, but the rubber segments 43 and their mounting ring44 are mounted on the body bolster center plate 45. W indicates suitablewelds holding plate 4| and ring 44 against movement.

In Figure 7 the body center plate member 50 corresponds to that shown inFigures 1 and 5. Rubber disc 5| is vulcanized to a plate 52 seated inmember 50 and held against movement by dowel pins 53. The truck centerplate member 54 comprises a casting made separately from the truckbolster 55 and the rubber segments 56 are vulcanized directly to centerplate member 54 eliminating the mounting ring.

In Figure 8 the truck center plate member 60 is integral with the truckbolster 6|, but none of the rubber elements are mounted on the truckcenter plate. The body center plate 62 is formed separately from bolster63, Disc 84 is vulcanized to a plate 85, welded at W to center plate 62.Rubber segments 66 are vulcanized directly to the inner face of centerplate flange 61.

Figure 9 illustrates a structure in which truck bolster Ill and bodybolster II each has an individual separately formed center plate casting12 and I3 respectively. Rubber disc 14 is vulcanized to the truck centerplate and segments 15 are vulcanized to the body center plate and theuse of plates or rings for mounting the rubber elements on the castingsis eliminated. The packing seal I6 and its retainer H are mounted .oncenter plate member I3.

If it is desired to use the rubber structure to receive vertical forcesonly, or to receive lateral forces only, such selection may be readilymade 1with any of the structures shown in Figures 4 No center pin isshown in the drawings but it will be understood that the ordinary centerpin may be used and the play of the pin in the center plate holes willaccommodate the relative movements of the body and truck center platespreviously referred to. To provide a completely insulated center plateconstruction, it would be desirable to include an insulated center pinarrangement which has been previously used in some constructions.

The shock absorbing and noise insulating elements are described as beingof rubber but it will be understood that other materials of rubber-likequality, such as are known at the present time or may be developedhereafter, may be substituted for rubber pads.

While a number of different forms of the invention are illustrated anddes ribed, it is obvious that those skilled in the art may combine thefeatures of the invention in arrangements other than the ones shown andwith additional features without departing from the spirit of theinvention and the exclusive use of all modifications coming within thescope of the claims is contemplated,

What is claimed is:

1. Railway vehicle center plate'structure comprising relativelyrotatable members with opposing upright walls in telescoping relationaxially and converging in one direction of their telescoping movement,and rubber elements compressed between said walls by such telescopingmovement to place said elements in shear whereby they yieldingly resistrelative rotative movement of said members.

2. A railway vehicle center plate structure comprising relativelyrotatable members with opposing upright circular walls in telescoping relation axially and converging in one direction of their telescopingmovement, and rubber elements spaced from each other about theperipheries of said walls and compressed between said walls by suchtelescoping movement to place said elements in shear whereby theyyieldingly resist relative rotative movement of said members.

3. Railway vehicle center plate structure comprising respective bodybolster and truck bolster members rotatable relative to each other andhaving opposing fiat horizontal walls and opposing upright walls,rubber-like material compressed between said upright walls and placed inshear by relative rotative movement of said members whereby saidmaterial yieldingly resists said movement, and rubber-like materialbetween said flat horizontal walls and compressed substantiallyuniformly by the application of the truck load. Y

4. A railway vehicle center plate structure comprising a truck centerplate having a truck load receiving element with a wide flat bearingsurface facing upwardly and having an upstanding element at the outerperiphery of said load receiving element with an extended surface facingin a horizontal direction and substantially at right angles to saidfirst-mentioned surface, a body center plate having a truck loadtransmitting element with a wide flat bearing surface facing downwardlyand having a depending eleterial compressed between all of said surfacesto yieldingly support the body center plate and the load transmittedthereby and to yieldingly resist relative rotation of said truck andbody center plates by the resistance of said rubber-like material toshear.

'5 In combination, a railway vehicle truck center plate and a bodycenter plate mounted thereon, there being a readily renewable unitarystructure detachably applied to one of said center plates and comprisinga cup-like metal part and rubber-like material on the inner face of theside of said part, said part being non-rotatably secured to the centerplate member to which it is applied and saidmaterial being disposed tofrictionally engage the other center plate to yieldingly resist relativerotational movement of the center plates.

6. A railway truck and body center plate combination as described inclaim 5 in which the rubber-like material forms an annulus of spacedapart blocks free to distort relative to each other.

EDMUND S. BECKE'ITE.

